this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2025
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I need to get out of my desk chair more, but lately I've been trying to walk my neighborhood since the weather's nice. What kinds of things do you do to stay active? I'd love some suggestions for good stretches and simple/effective exercises. Thanks!

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[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

I ride an electric bike instead of driving, gentle exercise but I'm sure it makes a difference. Pokemon go walks, yoga 4x a week at a group class, weightlifting less than once a week. Yardwork too, hauling things around. I got running shoes but have not deployed them yet, I'd like to run once a week only. I do move around a lot. I read somewhere that if you wanted to be fit after you are 50 you really need to exercise 3 hours a day, and it seems true. Not like lifting for 3 hours every day but if I was retired I'd do cardio every morning, lifting every noon, yoga every evening except one day totally off everything each week.

Also, keep a glass of water at your desk. Get up to fill it, drink, get up to pee, repeat. So that you aren't sitting for too long.

[–] StayDoomed@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

I do yoga multiple times a week, use a rowing machine twice a week, and walk/hike my dogs.

Yoga is the best especially if you are sitting all day. And it's a nice "third space" where you see the same people every class and make weak links with them that aren't at home or at work.

[–] kubok@fedia.io 1 points 3 hours ago

I run about 30 kms a week and I happen to live near my office, so I go there by bike. Walking is good. I do that almost daily after dinner. If I am tired after work, I make a point of taking long walks. I will still be tired, but the exhaustion will be physical rather than mental.

[–] chrizzowski@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 hours ago

Climbing! I've never been fond of weightlifting, but lifting myself up on the wall is way more fun! It's incredibly physical, and there's an equally important mental problem solving aspect to it. Most cities have a climbing gym these days and it's a lot more approachable than most people think. Bouldering especially only needs shoes and maybe a chalk bag. Just short but hard climbs that are usually only a few challenging moves. No ropes or harnesses, just big squishy mats to land on. It can also be pretty social with most gyms having a good community, and if you really take to it there's always room to grow into actual outdoor rock climbing.

Biking for commuting and errands is great as others have mentioned.

Running too. Just needs shoes and some comfy clothes. Even starting at a one km run doesn't seem like much, but you'll be surprised how much further you can go if you stick with it.

[–] Thoven@lemdro.id 6 points 7 hours ago

I was fortunate enough to get invited to a ballroom dancing class in high school and fell in love with it. It's exercise and a social experience all in one fairly affordable package. Where I live an hour long group class is $10 a head. I wouldn't do private lessons for these purposes. And if you like it, there are so many subcultures! There are entire groups dedicated to certain dances like West Coast swing and Argentine tango. Regular social dances on the weekends in addition to classes. YMMV based on where you live, but dancing with the stars has brought ballroom into the mainstream and there are quality studios in most decent sized US cities as far as I know.

[–] coaxil@lemm.ee 5 points 8 hours ago

60ish min in the weights room 5 days a week, 6 days a week 30 min zone 2 cardio. That's it.

[–] undeffeined@lemmy.ml 6 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

I break up working day with small 5 min breaks where I rest in a squat. I do this a minimum of 6 times. It helps to stretch the whole posterior chain.

First 30 days I had a 4cm block bellow my heels since I severly lack the mobility. After a month of daily practice I've been able to reduce the height of the block to 2 cm. Will continue for another month and hopefully the full squat will be available to me.

The goal is to be able to have the squat as a natural resting position that I can use on a daily basis to break the chair sitting banner.

[–] GetOffReddit@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

I love this idea! Tie it into your existing routine! I decided a year ago to stand on one leg while brushing my teeth. Started as a teeter-totter, now I just sway a bit. I change legs when I change quadrants & do each for 30 seconds.

Also, squares are great. I avoided them (and lunges) for 20+ years because of my knee. Then I worked with a trainer for about 8 months last year. She slowly got me working the knee and after a few months I realized I could do squats! My pampering the knee for decades did nothing for it while her slow but steady working on it has me pain free and able to hike for 5+ hours now.

I also found the book: Built from Broken: A Science-Based Guide to Healing Painful Joints, Preventing Injuries, and Rebuilding Your Body by Scott Hogan

Really helped me out.

[–] junkthief@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 hour ago

Did you typo squares for squats? I think some folks are legitimately curious if you’re talking about an exercise we haven’t heard about

[–] undeffeined@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 hours ago

What are Squares?

That idea of standing on one leg seems interesting, a simple way to introduce balancing on a daily basis, will try it out.

[–] flubba86@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

That's a cool idea. I'd like to start doing this. I hope my knees can cope, I'm very heavy.

[–] undeffeined@lemmy.ml 3 points 7 hours ago

I suggest you take a different approach then.

Instead of doing in 5 min blocks, do it in smaller intervals, say start with 30 seconds. And also you can aim for a smaller total daily time like 5 min, and work your way up to 30 dailly minutes over the course of weeks if not months. It may seem small but the goal is to accumulate the work and slowly induce adaptations.

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 12 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Going to the gym is so boring for me. I ended up finding an activity that I enjoy doing that also happens to be good exercise and started kickboxing about 9 months ago. The people there are very friendly and they text me if I don't show up for a while, so there's more accountability that I would typically have.

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 6 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Similar. I started rock climbing about a decade ago. It's fun, you make friends, learn new skills, and get exercise.

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 3 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Rock climbing seems pretty sweet, I think I could get into after I lose maybe 60 lbs or more lol

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Ngl, climbing becomes a lot easier if you are lighter. But also, there's nothing stopping you from enjoying it at a heavier weight - you just climb routes with an easier numeric grade. And there are various climbing disciplines that are less disadvantageous to heavier climbers, like ice climbing or mountaineering. If you want to take a really traditional approach, you could enter climbing by way of hiking and backpacking, which are also a lot of fun and have a decent amount of skill overlap.

Also, I have no science to back this up, but I just intuit that when you consistently do activities like hiking, running, and climbing where lower body weight is advantageous, your brain notices and predisposes you to lose weight.

So give it a shot!

[–] orgrinrt@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

My advanced activities consists primarily of hiking and on a more frequent and casual form day-to-day, just carrying heavy and bulky stuff around.

I was born and raised in the vast wildernesses, forests, wetlands and the old mountains/fells of the Fennoscandic Lappland, so hiking and walking in nature in general has been a big part of my life since I was a wee lad. Even as a teen the closest thing counting as something close to a city was some 200km away, and I spent my pre-teens in a small remote village of 300 inhabitants not so close to anything bigger. Closest village with a church and a few shops a few tens of kilometers away. This is all to give the context in that I haven’t even had much chance to do stuff other than wandering in the wilderness, so whatever I now am has been built and predicated on that mostly.

I have found that the usual form of hiking and backpacking (in nature) in places not requiring special tools or equipment (such as for cliff climbing) seems to favor building up upper body bulk and strength as opposed to a general lightweight build. If we are to assume the logic you suggest is universal and true.

I haven’t been to gym or actively building up my mass or strength, but I’ve grown to be quite heavy on my upper body just by loving hiking and traversing wilderness and fells with a backpack and camping equipment. I’ve also grown pretty hefty thighs and legs overall.

I’ve attempted climbing (in a hall setting, you know as a total beginner) and I’ve got to say: My build is entirely wrong for that. I’m not very agile and the weight the muscles bring makes me very unstable and really bad at swinging/maneuvering. Of course it’s mostly that I’m a total stranger to that and probably would get a lot better with a lot of patience and training, but then my friends with lighter, more usual build (from hobbies in jogging, tennis, soccer or such) with exactly as little experience or knowhow in climbing, were all so much more natural in all that, in much less time and with much fewer attempts.

This is all to say, that your usual hiking and backpacking (especially on a multi-night, even a weeklong carry) is probably not so directly building towards climbing itself, or a lighter build. I think it tends to favor bulkiness to sustain the required carrying weight and the tough, varying terrain. But running of course does favor lightness, maybe the well-paved tourist trails do too, in terms of hiking, but even then you’re going to have to carry a lot and keep a modest pace to be able to sustain the energy for the long haul, while still being able to power through the hills, the ravines, the fells and the deep thick forests with a lot of trunks, large glacial erratics etc, with the weight on your shoulders and back, which I think is pretty much all of it disadvantageous on a lighter build(?)

But that’s neither here or there, just thought I’d offer a differing anecdote. Otherwise I think your (and others’!) points are great!

[–] Crackhappy@lemmy.world 27 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

I jiggle my mouse every 5 minutes.

[–] Marighost@lemm.ee 12 points 18 hours ago (1 children)
[–] QualifiedKitten@discuss.online 4 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Currently unemployed, so I can't exactly remember, but I used to launch a call with just myself. By default, that will change your status to "in a call", but I believe you can override it and set it to available. Alternatively, a mouse jiggler is around $20.

[–] undeffeined@lemmy.ml 1 points 7 hours ago

Yeah, setting up a call with just yourself does this. You can also share your screen and it will go to "do not disturb".

[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 4 points 14 hours ago

Yes. My mouse.

[–] MantisToboggon@lazysoci.al 30 points 20 hours ago

I do not. It is very easy.

[–] JayleneSlide@lemmy.world 6 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Bicycle commuting, but it sounds like you might be WFH. I am a 100% remote worker, but I keep an office and workshop to keep the day job out of my tiny living space. When I still worked from my boat (where I live), I would go for a bike ride through varying loops before and after work just to have that separation of mental states.

When we're on a passage or anchored out, yoga, calisthenics, dumbbells, TRX (body weight training system), and swimming keep us fit. Among my peers, there is a 1:1 inverse relationship between who does yoga and who has pains of inflexibility.

Another great book for keeping your range and flexibility is "Ten Golden Exercises" by Daniel Philpot.

[–] pipe@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I'd love to hear more about your (house?)boat! I live near a river and have thought about doing the opposite -- using a boat as my office.

[–] JayleneSlide@lemmy.world 1 points 14 minutes ago* (last edited 11 minutes ago)

My boat is a 1979 Formosa 46, center cockpit cutter-rigged (two headsails) sloop. The design intent was to cross oceans and weather storms, carrying enough provisions for six people for up to six months. This is the sailboat I dreamed of owning since I was a kid. My family were into powerboats, but I hated the noise, stink, and wastefulness. I wanted the freedom from all that. I wanted to just go buy my own small sailboat so I could learn, but my parents wouldn't let me.

Cut to 30 years later, I finally bought my first sailboat in 2013 and moved aboard shortly thereafter. I had been searching for an F46 for years, but they were all either meticulous and priced ridiculously, or were clapped out and still priced ridiculously. I knew that I would want to make a lot of changes, so I didn't want to pay the premium on a mint boat. But I wanted a boat that I could still sail and determine what all I want to change.

Cut to 2015. In the same week, my marriage imploded, I spent Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday) and my birthday alone, and I was fired from the software company I co-founded in a hostile takeover. I also found my ideal specimen of F46 and it was in the same region, to boot. I'll take that silver lining.

I'm re-modeling and rearranging the interior, re-powering with electric drive, taking it down to bare glass and refinishing with modern coatings, re-rigging with Dyneema, fixing all of the engineering errors in the boat design, reducing the through-hull count, installing modern wiring and reducing the electronics (while modernizing the electronics I'm keeping). Modernizing the plumbing. Adding systems for longevity and autonomy (in the context of "extending time between having to visit ports"), e.g. solar, dual water makers, recovering dead spaces, shoring up deck durability, moving chainplates...

These following pics are the same place inside the boat:

Regarding using your boat as an office, there are a few caveats I share whenever anyone starts thinking about getting a boat. All boats leak. Everything you do in a boat creates humidity, and that humidity must be managed. The magical numbers are >55F and <55% relative humidity. Anything outside of that is inviting mold. While having your boat in freshwater reduces maintenance costs and lengthens maintenance intervals, owning and maintaining a boat is still at least a half-time job. And you know what they say about guys with big boats? They have big bills. The little-known origin of the word "boat" is actually an acronym: Bust Out Another Thousand. :D You really have to want this life. And the less that this is your life, the greater the overall expense in terms of opportunity and financial costs. It's crazy hard, but super rewarding.

Oh, and if you have an engine/fuel on your boat, your boat stinks of that. If you have a holding/blackwater tank on your boat, add in those wonderful smells, too. All of these are mitigable, but they are factors. Just a few things to think about...

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 2 points 11 hours ago

my work involves walking and carrying stuff, and i lost weight, eventhough im kinda below normal weight as it is.

[–] knobbysideup@sh.itjust.works 17 points 19 hours ago

Simple calisthenics and stretches every morning. Hip extensions, shoulder rotations, toe touches, etc. Quick and easy and feel much better after. I do these during breaks throughout the day.

After work it depends on time of year and weather. Kayak, mountain bike, snowboard. Hiking or rail trail is fine too.

[–] Albbi@lemmy.ca 8 points 17 hours ago

I have two huskies. If I don't walk them they get destructive. I got them to help keep myself active and they're doing their job.

Also took up Ultimate (frisbee). Such a great game, but so much running!

[–] flop_leash_973@lemmy.world 6 points 16 hours ago

Walking my dog, anxiety, pessimism, and existential dread mostly.

[–] BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 14 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I took up ice hockey as an adult.

If you try hard, it's an insanely good workout.

[–] PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk 5 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I've been threatening to do this for years. Irregular hours have meant that I've skipped this idea, and rugby. I guess I'd love to go just for the workout and for the extra circle of friends, but I don't want to be wasting folks time when I'm not going to be able to make games consistently.

I enjoyed playing roller hockey when I was younger and I know getting the skates back on after thirty years will be a challenge, maybe I'll give this a go again.

[–] BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 3 points 17 hours ago

I started by just going to drop in games rather than joining a league. You may or may not be able to do the same depending on your availabile rink(s)

[–] jade52@lemmy.ca 8 points 18 hours ago

Lifelong lazy person here. I got a Fitbit. At first I just used it for counting my steps and heart rate, but after a while I decided to I crease my cardio load. Being able to see the data of my progress really helped. The steps goal is a big one too (I also work a desk job). It helped me keep mindful of how much I need to move. After a few months it was so much easier.

[–] GeraltvonNVIDIA@lemmy.ml 11 points 19 hours ago (4 children)

I need Motivation and often trick myself into doing some activities. Mostly per videogames. I try to do at least one Minigame per day and it actually helps with my Back-Pain. Continuity is key.

VR:

  1. Beat Saber
  2. Superhot

Nintendo Wii/Switch:

  1. Wii Sports
  2. Just Dance
[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago

Fuck yeah beatsaber

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Doing step challenges and tracking steps keeps me walking. I try for 10k steps a day and use Samsung Health's monthly challenge on my phone as gamification to keep walking daily.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 6 points 18 hours ago
[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 5 points 17 hours ago

Aggressive foreplay followed by prolonged vaginal intercourse.

[–] tauren@lemm.ee 1 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

I bought a treadmill so that I could run even when the weather is terrible outside. That's a game-changer.

[–] GetOffReddit@lemmy.world 7 points 19 hours ago

Being active is so important to your health. Take where you're at and just build on it. One thing I always tell myself is that things won't get better if I don't act on it. Yeah, I want to loose 10 lbs so I'll start exercising and eating less. Tomorrow. Nope, it's got to start now. And give yourself some grace. Changing habits is hard and you will backslide. Don't beat yourself up, just awknowledge the slip and say you'll try to do better.

[–] MisterNeon@lemmy.world 7 points 20 hours ago

I basically live in an M. C. Escher painting so I just go walk outside which no matter where I go it's uphill both ways.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 4 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

My dogs demanding to be walked. Which is one of the many reasons I wanted a dog in the first place. It worked. 😌

[–] grasshopper_mouse@lemmy.world 4 points 18 hours ago

I got a personal trainer at a small local gym to do strength training. I meet with them twice a week and then go by myself a third day during the week; all three days I go before work. Pros are that I'm much stronger than I was 2 years ago, cons are that it does cost money and I do have to get up earlier to be there, but it's pretty easy to get up early when you paid someone for their time to meet you there.

[–] GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml 3 points 17 hours ago

I bike! Both to work, general transportation (for example grocery shopping) and just for fun.

[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 4 points 18 hours ago

I found a gym-quality elliptical on Craigslist a couple of years back, and if I walk/run at a pace between 50-60 rpm’s, I can walk about 2.5 miles in 30 minutes.

[–] jabathekek@sopuli.xyz 5 points 19 hours ago

I'm lucky to have a relatively nice bicycle lane network in my city so I use it whenever I have to get groceries or whatever. Not that I have a car, but I wouldn't want to drive anyway. Cycling is also a hell of a lot better than the bus.

Sometimes I don't need groceries and just feel like a slug or whatever, so I do a bunch of jumping jacks until I start breathing hard.

[–] cabron_offsets@lemmy.world 3 points 18 hours ago

Lately by talking ~3 mile walks.

[–] TwoBeeSan@lemmy.world 4 points 19 hours ago

Job has a lot of walking. If can't get lucky and combine....

Do some body weight exercises in between another task. Like oh I'm about to smoke a bowl do push-ups until collapse.

Started walking to work but again this is not a universal fix for everyone.

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